Her Descent
by HP Slash Luv
Summary: No one ever thought Hermione would be the one to lose sight of what's right versus what's wrong. Warning for some violence and character death.


**Written For:**

**Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition: **Falcons - Round 6  
Keeper - White about a character descending into madness of any kind.

**Hogwarts: **365 Prompts  
Prompt - eternal

Betaed by my fabulous teammates Jane and Elizabeth.

**Her Descent**

The lone woman's eyes were dark as she pointed her wand at the captor. "Avada Kedavra," she intoned, no longer flinching as the killer green light hit her intended target. The Italian man in finely made wizarding robes fell before her.

The witch didn't smile. She didn't show any sense of satisfaction. It was just a job. She turned and walked away, ready to plan her next move.

X

It started slowly. The idea crept into her head not long after her best friend's death. Ron was already gone. It hurt, but as long as she had Harry at her side, she was sure she'd be able to get through it. Their friendship was eternal and nothing would be able to separate them. Or at least, that was what she thought.

It was slow-going, but Hermione was getting through it. She survived the war, and she was slowly healing. Harry was being forced to face his own demons, but thankfully, Ginny was unwavering in her loyalty to him, despite her own grief.

Hermione was beginning to think everything was going to be okay. It had been almost a year since the final battle, and her guard was finally starting to come down.

Then a curse hit Harry squarely in the chest, causing his organs to slowly disintegrate. It was a painful death, not a fate she'd wish on anyone.

Hermione's heart seized, and once again, she was alone.

At first, there were no leads. Hermione thought it might be a stray Death Eater that managed to escape the Aurors, one that was lower on the totem pole that no one had known about.

Kingsley, bless his heart, refused to stop until he discovered the truth. Harry was the hero of the Wizarding world, and he was someone Kingsley came to respect while they fought side-by-side during the war. And the culprit was eventually caught. It was a man not marked as a Death Eater, but he had distant ties to the Nott family, was from a dark bloodline, and was a dark side sympathizer.

Hermione wanted to throw up. Someone who hadn't even fought in the war took her last family member away from her. Harry was the reason she had kept going when she wanted to collapse and never get up again. And now she felt as if her world was crashing down around her all over again.

Then an idea formed, cultivating in her mind after reading a book about something in Muggle history.

The dark would never go away. The only way to make sure there was no more war and needless deaths was to make sure no one with a leaning towards the dark was able to take up the mantle.

And that's when she started her secret mission. No one knew her intentions of course—they wouldn't understand—but she slowly came up with a plan.

Her first kill was the most difficult. Even in the midst of battle, she had never actually killed anyone, not that she knew of. She had decided that Malfoy would be her first, though. If anyone would go dark, it would be him.

Hermione bided her time. She waited, learning his routine. If Malfoy could be called anything, it would be that he was unchanging. He did the same thing every Saturday. Left his Manor at 8 AM. He never used the Floo from within. Instead, he chose to actually come outside and Apparate. Malfoy then went to Diagon Alley for breakfast, went to Flourish and Blotts for a couple of hours, went to a cafe in Muggle London for lunch, went to a park afterward where he spent hours reading on a bench, and then he went home for dinner.

It was three weeks later that Hermione made her move as he came to the Apparation point to leave in the morning. Her hand shook as she raised her wand.

"Granger?" Malfoy asked. "What are you doing here?" There was no suspicion in his voice. Then he noticed her wand. "Granger, I'm not sure what your deal is, but I know you don't have it in you to use that wand."

The snarky, immature boy made Hermione want to prove him wrong. She straightened her spine. "You don't know me anymore, Malfoy. I lost everything, and I'm going to make sure the next generation has a better life. And that means eliminating every single one of you."

Malfoy opened his mouth to retort.

"Avada Kedavra," Hermione shouted, not wanting to hear any more rubbish from him. The spell wasn't strong, but it did form. And it did the trick.

Draco Malfoy fell to the ground. Dead.

Hermione took deep shuddering breaths. "You're only the first," she promised herself.

She quickly Apparated away and when she got into her small apartment, she fell to the ground, curled into a ball, and cried.

X

Hermione slowly worked her way through a kill list. Many of her victims were from prominent families like the Blacks and Malfoys. Others were from lesser-known families, but nonetheless, they had dark bloodlines and had silently supported Voldemort during his reign of terror.

She would not let any one of them become the next Dark Lord. She lost most of her childhood, the love of her life, and her best friend because of Voldemort. No one else would be able to wreak that much destruction again.

She dug deeper and deeper, studying family trees and came to a conclusion. She had to do more than just destroy the dark bloodlines. What about all of the people that did nothing? The ones that claimed to be 'neutral.' They didn't do anything to stop the war, but they were enjoying the fruits of her labor. The fruits of Harry's and Ron's labor. Maybe if _they_ had done something, Ron would still be alive.

So, she added other targets to her list. For example, the Zabini family always claimed to be neutral. "They're just cowards," Hermione muttered, her hair crinkling with suppressed magic. "They'll pay," she vowed.

X

And that was what brought her to this point in time. Blaise Zabini, a man who hadn't even been on her radar during school, was dead. Killed by her wand. She no longer cried after her kills. It was all for the greater good after all.

The witch didn't smile. She didn't show any sense of satisfaction. It was just a job. She turned and walked away, ready to plan her next move.

She stopped and stared at a tall, dark-skinned man.

"I had been hoping my suspicions were wrong."

Hermione clutched her wand. "Kingsley, you know I'm doing the right thing."

"You're killing people. This isn't what Harry and Ron would have wanted."

That snapped Hermione's self-control. "Don't tell me what they would have wanted! They're dead! All because of people like Zabini! I'm protecting this world. Harry and Ron would have been proud of me."

Kingsley had his own wand. "Blaise Zabini never committed any crime before, during, or after the war—"

"He was a coward," Hermione interrupted. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

Kingsley's gaze was unwavering. "Please come with me, Hermione; I need to take you in."

Hermione raised her wand. "If you don't stand with me, then you're against me." Do you really want to be against me?" Hermione asked, her voice a dangerous whisper.

Kingsley raised his own wand. "Hermione, drop your wand and come with me. Now!" he ordered.

Hermione pointed her wand. "Avada—"

"Expelliarmus!" Kingsley shouted.

Hermione dodged it. She tried a new one. "Imperio!"

Kingsley jumped away before the curse could hit him.

"Stupefy!"

Hermione glared at him as she avoided it. "Reducto!" she screamed, her curly brown hair an angry halo.

"Protego!" Kingsley retorted, and the blasting curse bounced off his shield.

Hermione hadn't expected it, and it hit her square in the neck, severing it from her body. She fell lifeless to the ground.

Kingsley closed his eyes. He hadn't wanted it to come to this. She had so much promise. With brains and work ethic, she could have been the next Minister of Magic. If only her grief hadn't taken over. _'I'm sorry, Ron and Harry. I failed her.'_

X

_Hermione Granger_

_September 19, 1979-May 2, 2000_

_Beloved friend and daughter_

_War Heroine_

_Cursed is she who wants to make the world a better place, but doesn't know the path to get there._

XX

(word count: 1,401)


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